Top 100 Oilers: No. 41 — Mattias Ekholm

NOTABLE

Ekholm and his family made a great first impression on both the Oilers, their fans and the community of Edmonton.

Not only did he walk into the lineup and post 14 points in the final 21 games of the 2022-23 regular season, but he and his wife didn’t need to be convinced to embrace the city.

Ekholm said in an interview with Sportsnet that his wife, Ida Bjornstad, was thrilled to come to Edmonton because she was from the northern parts of Sweden and was excited to have her family experience winters again.

“I come from an environment that is similar to Edmonton” said Bjornstad when asked about why she was excited to be coming to Alberta.

The couple even stayed in Edmonton following their first season and welcomed their third child that summer.

There was a time when Edmonton was on every players no-trade list and there have been stories about significant others pleading to their husbands to avoid playing in Edmonton, I’m looking at you Michael Nylander.

To see a player like Ekholm, and his family, embrace the city right out of the gates was rare and is a big reason why he quickly became a fan favourite.

THE STORY

Mattias Ekholm’s best hockey as an Oilers arguably came during the 2024 run to the Stanley Cup Final.

Anchoring the top pairing alongside Evan Bouchard, the duo gave the Oilers 407 5v5 minutes during that run, and the Oilers outscored the other team 22-12 during that time.

They were shutting down the other team’s best players, helping get the puck up the ice to the Oilers superstars, and Ekholm himself even chipped in with five goals of his own.

They were a true top-pairing, which the Oilers hadn’t really seen since 2006.

Ekholm’s story with the Oilers isn’t over, though.

This past October, he inked a three-year extension with the club, which all but guarantees that the Oilers will be the final club that he plays for in his NHL career.

Ekholm’s acquisition continues to look like an absolute gem as he is still giving the team quality top-pairing minutes even at the age of 35 years old, and with a cap hit dropping down to $4 million, it’s easy to see a world where he continues to be a valuable piece of this Oilers lineup for years to come.

The only thing that could make this story any sweeter would be for his name to end up on the Stanley Cup.

What Brownlee said

It seems to me like Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland got exactly the player his team needed Tuesday when he acquired big Mattias Ekholm, who’ll be in the lineup tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs, from the Nashville Predators.

The deal, coming on the heels of Jesse Puljujarvi being sent to the Carolina Hurricanes, has Tyson Barrie and prospect Reid Schaefer going the other way along with a first-round draft pick in 2023 and a fourth-round pick in 2024. That’s a steep price, but you give to get.

…

Ekholm, who turns 33 in May, fits the bill as the Oilers enter the stretch drive to playoffs. He brings 719 regular season games of experience with Nashville and 75 more in playoffs.

He’ll give you 21 or 22 minutes a game in the top four and while he doesn’t provide the sizzle that Erik Karlsson or Jakub Chychrun do, he’ll get you 25-35 points in a shutdown role and work the PK. He’s also a little bit pumped about playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl instead of against them.

The Last 10

• No. 51 — Ethan Moreau
• No. 50 — Stuart Skinner
• No. 49 — Janne Niinimaa
• No. 48 — Jason Arnott
• No. 47 — Oscar Klefbom
• No. 46 — Craig Muni
• No. 45 — Tommy Salo
• No. 44 — Kevin McClelland
• No. 43 — Kelly Buchberger
• No. 42 — Bill Guerin